An Ayurvedic Tip

That could make your fall and winter a whole lot healthier

My apologies for sending this post twice. It somehow disappeared from Substack, comments and all (I’m chalking it up to Mercury Retrograde!) The only way I can put it back on the site is to repost and resend it. I am laughing as I do this because everything is wonky! Sorry for the multiple Subscribe buttons that it’s inserting and won’t let me delete! Lesson learned - I guess I should be saving these posts somewhere else. Luckily, my friend still had the email, and I still had the audio (with the wrong date!) Thanks for your understanding. Mercury, you are a stinker! xo

I’ll try to make this short but sweet and not a snoozer. I’d much rather write about Trees and Coyotes and Art, but this is important, so I felt compelled to share.

It isn’t just about eating apples, but that is definitely a part of it.

It’s about something I learned studying Ayurveda that I never forgot and like to share every August.

It’s important to release excess heat out of the body before Vata Season (Fall/Early Winter) gets underway.

Why, you may ask? Well, I’m going to tell you.

Ayurveda teaches that the junctures between the seasons are the perfect time to cleanse the body of any excesses that might have built up, both in the body and the mind. Failure to do this is an invitation for diseases to set in if the body/mind is in a weakened state.

Seasonal shifts are a vulnerable time, as our bodies struggle to adjust to changes in the climate, and perhaps in our diet.

If you’re living in the Northern Hemisphere, as I do, then it’s time to prepare for the shift that Ayurveda teaches can be a challenge to our health.

Here in the Northeastern US, fall is just around the corner. It’s ever so subtle, but you can sense it. The nights are getting cooler, many of the bugs have left town, and any day now, apples will be arriving at the farmer's market.

Soon, the winds of Vata will begin to blow, bringing dryness and maybe a dose of anxiety, along with it.

But, there are always a lot of back-and-forth weather changes which can trip us up even more. After a few days of sunny, dry, warm weather here in New Hampshire, it’s flipped to more rain, cooler temps, and high humidity.

During the summer months of Pitta Season, excess heat is likely to have accumulated and might be expressing itself in any or all of the following ways

• Skin problems such as rash, eczema, hives, psoriasis or dermatitis

• The feeling of heat trapped in the body, hot flashes

• Burning or itching sensations

• Digestive issues such as heartburn, acid reflux, burping, nausea, loose stools or diarrhea, intense hunger

• Yellow coating on the tongue

• Bleeding gums or canker sores

• Excessive sweating (pungent-smelling)

• Excessive thirst

• Feelings of anger, jealousy, criticism, impatience

None of these symptoms, as harmless as they may seem, should be taken lightly.

They are red flags of an imbalance that, left untreated, can lead to more serious problems.

Pay attention.

You do not want to enter Vata Season (Fall/Early Winter) with these imbalances. The energy of Vata will only exacerbate them. Vata moves everything (air is the predominant element) and can drive imbalances deeper into the tissues and channels of the body.

I have experienced this imbalance firsthand. A particularly hot summer coupled with my Vata tendency towards dehydration and a couple of bouts of heat exhaustion left my body in a weakened state as I entered the fall season. I ended up with the hundred-day cough, as the Chinese like to call it.

Almost anyone can be affected, although individuals with Pitta dosha in their constitution (Pitta is the hot dosha) will be more vulnerable.

Here’s the reason this is so critical.

Vata is dry. If the excess heat of the summer is not properly expelled before entering Vata Season, this hot/dry energy will begin to move upward in the body, weakening it and making it more susceptible to colds, flu, allergies, as well as digestive and respiratory problems.

The body will begin to produce reactive mucus to combat the dryness, and we will likely blame it on the guy we work with who has a cold.

Or, even worse, whatever the nightly news is telling us we should blame it on.

If we don’t detox our body, our body knows how to do it for us, and it might not be a pleasant experience.

Mother Nature provides us with foods that are naturally cooling and help to dispel heat from the body.

So eat lots of seasonal local fruits and vegetables at summer's end.

Especially effective are apples, pomegranates, and beets.

If any of this resonates with you, follow the Pitta-pacifying suggestions in this article and consider doing an Ayurvedic cleanse.

Unlike harsh cleanse programs which can leave the body in a weakened state, an Ayurvedic cleanse gently clears the mind and body of toxins and brings the doshas back into balance. Fall is a perfect time for such a cleanse.

Banyan Botanicals has a whole range of cleanses - suited to your particular needs. Even a simple one-day reset will help.

Fall Cleanse Guide

You can also take this dosha quiz to determine your constitution.

Cooling the mind can be achieved through meditation, breathwork, walks in Nature, or sitting under the moonlight. Or whatever other activity cools you down, rather than heats you up.

Ayurveda can seem really complex and weird to a lot of people. And maybe even a little dogmatic. I try really hard to keep it simple.

I don’t live a perfect Ayurvedic lifestyle (i.e. potato chips and popcorn are a no-no food for Vata-types, hahaha), but it has been the one system of health and longevity that has helped me the most.

And, while I often joke about my love of potato chips, I really don’t indulge very often.

Let me just add, on a more positive note, that Vata Season always brings with it a big dose of creative energy.

Fall has always been my favorite season, with Winter a close second. I love the weather, and I’ve always felt super creative during those months. But, I never understood why I would feel anxiety creeping in at the end of the summer. Now, I know why, and I nurture my Vata as best I can.

I'll write again soon with some Vata Season survival tips. Now is the time to focus on a smooth seasonal transition, so for the next few weeks - get that excess heat out of your body!

Much love,
Barbara

My gift-with-paid subscription offer is good through the end of September. If you subscribe (thank you very much!) please email your address to me @barbarasinclair11@protonmail.com. Each gift will be unique - made either by me or Mother Nature (or both of us!) 💚